Finally building!

[Vader]

Ive poked around on this site for a while now. I have amassed many used drums for conversion but haven't gotten around to it. Was unsure at first whether I wanted to do the TOM-ahawk chop in half method for thin toms or use the full tom. Decided on using full toms. I ordered some used toms off ebay. I started getting mapex v toms in a pretty blue plasma color, but couldn't get that many of them for very cheap. So I switched and started ordering Ludwig accent toms in 10 and 12 sizes, as well as a 13 for a future bass drum. Then I found a 14" snare and I was off.
I was then going to sell some of the extra toms that didn't match on ebay, but then decided, what's a few more toms on the kit? But they didn't match, and that bothered me. I didn't want to post my build on this site with a bunch of mismatched toms. So I came across some threads using contact paper to recover the drums. What an idea. I contacted HELLFIRE who showed some old conversions with contact paper that looked great. I used an Ultra Black Marble contact paper found through amazon.com for $4.50 a roll.
So far I've recovered the drums and started fitting mounting brackets inside. Im going to use the circular metal disk method of DAVEYBABES thread for a base plate. Im going to pick up the metal from the machinist today - hes cutting it on the plasma table. Ive got heads on the way from BPMmusic and the TD20 arrived yesterday! Next Ill have to sell some stuff to get a vh-12 and cy-15. Scored two cy-14's cheap through this site. Ill be using two kd-7's chained until the bass drum conversion is complete.
Im also going to hook up my 20 to an Onkyo 1000W stereo with center/right/left channels and bass thumper (actually a 6.1 system but only going to use 3.1 of it). Anyone have success with this as a personal monitor for practice use? Thanks to all for inspiration, Im sure many questions will follow in the next few weeks. V

[Daddy-O]

Hey, I like the marble look! I also have been looking to refin my A kit, as the factory skins are junk. Thanks for the tip on HELLFIRE; I'll look him up.

For a sound system, I'm having good luck with a decent set of computer speakers and sub-woofer. I would love to step up to a small stage monitor system, and I'm keeping an eye out for one. It sounds like your system is huge in it's big-ness and has enough juice to make your ears bleed!

Was the decision to use full size toms based upon your personal preference in the look of the kit, or was there another consideration (for instance, all that precision sawing would give me a headache!)?

[Michael Render]

Dude, looking great. I can't wait to see more.

[Gastric]

I'm curious to hear more details about the contact paper. Does it have some sort of glossy and seemingly durable surface to it? Or is it a flat and rough papery finish? I have some steel snares I'd like to potentially wrap and $5 worth of fancy paper would do the trick.

[Vader]

Fancy paper

Hey guys. The contact paper I used is here.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Black-Ma...9341390&sr=8-1

It is a semi-gloss surface. Not flat and dull, but not super shiny like a real expensive drum wrap. It is billed as ultra, 33% thicker than normal and super durable. It was super easy to put on, and if it lays down wrong, it peels up real easy to re-align on the drum. I imagine that if I ever get tired of the black marble, I can remove it without a lot of sticky residue, and put on something like fire engine red, or obnoxious yellow or something cool like that. Especially when its that cheap! One roll was 18" by 15' and I've covered a 14x5 snare, 13x12 tom, 10x8, 3 12x10's. I have one more 12x10 to cover and have just run out of the first roll. Luckily I ordered a second to be safe. Thanks again to HELLFIRE for his help on this. I can't claim originality for the black marble as his 1980's kit was wrapped in this and looked great!

[PumaPhreak]

Vader,
Kit looks like it's coming along nicely. How long do you think til you've got it finished? BTW, what part of Tn?
Later,
B

[Gastric]

Oh, baby! WOODGRAIN FINISHES! Now I can have the elegant high end custom wood snare I've always dreamed about!

I tried to spray paint one of the snares a shiny copper but failed and got various non-copper golden colors. it was disappointing. My only issue is that the snare I painted is not totally flat and is ridged along the mid-line like many of the steel snares are. I can imagine that being a real PITA to apply paper to successfully.

Looking forward to more photos.

[ratindahat]

They have chalkboard as well. That could be sick for a gigging kit. Write different stuff on the shells for the hell of it. OOhh.. so close to buying that.

[Vader]

Heavy metal

I agree with the previous post about the woodgrain contact paper - it looks marvelous - especially that really dark one. I almost went for it.

Im from Chattanooga Puma. I figure it will take a few weeks to finalize everything. The Td-20 arrived today and I was blown away, more so than the td-12 at my local GC.

Im in the process of cutting metal today for my circle disc platforms. They will ride on L brackets and attached securely to the shell. The snare will have a separate riser for the head cone/piezo and a rim trigger underneath. The toms will have a single fender washer riser ala FUELRUSH for the headpiezo and a rim off to the north side.
Im using 1/8" steel for the snare base platform and then 22ga steel for the toms. At first I thought the 22ga would be too flimsy, but once I secure it to the L brackets, it should be rock solid.
Need to order some jacks. Im going with the neutrik locking panel jack, I think and nobody around here carries them. So I order and wait. Ill post more pictures over the weekend.

[Hellfire]

Vader, those look great! I can't wait to see the finished kit. Since you made reference to some of my old drum set pictures I thought I would post them here. Like Vader stated earlier these are drum sets for the late 80's early 90's. (man, I'm old ) Both kits were done in contact paper. (actually it is a vinyl product, not paper.)

oldpearls001.jpg

oldpearls002.jpg

oldpearls003.jpg

I figure the green one will get some laughs. (now that's 80's )

[Michael Render]

That chartreuse is like a train wreck. So ugly, yet I can't look away.

[Daddy-O]

Yep. Contact paper. You guys have convinced me that's the way to go to re-fin my poorly applied factory wraps on my cheesy A kit!

Um...I sort of LIKE the green...

[Vader]

Inside drums

Well I got my metal on today. Went to the welding shop and they cut my a piece of 1/8" circular sheet metal. Looks great, but I couldn't drill through it so I had to go back and have them do it.
I also cut some of the 22ga steel and attached it preliminarily with some 1/4-20 bolts to see how flimsy it was in the center. I was surprised to say that it was pretty solid -- not as solid as the 1/8" on the snare of course-- but there was minimal if any deflection.
I will be putting bolts/tee nuts/fender washer in the middle of the 22ga in the tom tomorrow. The standoff plate on the snare will take time -- i need to befriend someone with a heavy duty drillpress I think.
Im going to coat all bare metal in hammered black rustoleum finish.
Tomorrow its out for jacks at radioshack, and speaker wire. Im going from thin piezo wire into a telecomm butt splice to 22 ga to the jack. Does that sound reasonable to everyone? I don't think the thin piezo wires will make it to the jack without an extension wire.
Here are some preliminary photos...

[jman 31]

Man, seems to me a good piece of 1/2 inch plywood would have done the job and been somewhat cheaper. I guess if money is not the object then that might be the way to go. Lookin really good though!!!

[Gastric]

Can you educate us all on the purpose of the the metal plate and brackets if you're simply going to install a piezo plate riser on it? I actually thought you were going to build a foam-and-reflector plate trigger instead of cone-based trigger.